


Double Trouble

by elrosa



Series: A Year And A Day [2]
Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 18:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14754090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrosa/pseuds/elrosa
Summary: Jake and Taylor go on a double date with Sean and Michelle.





	Double Trouble

Jake looked into the mirror and sighed.

“Please tell me again, why on earth are we going on a double date? And with Sean and Michelle?” He turned around and pointed his razor at Taylor.

She took a step back and frowned.

“Careful with that! I like my throat in one piece. Why do you shave with this old-fashioned piece of junk, anyway?”

“Don’t try to change the subject, Princess. Where did you get the idea?”

“Michelle called me. They are staying in town for a few days and want to meet us.”

“Is it too late to cancel? We can tell them you’re in labor or something.”

She crossed her arms and pouted her lips. “Come on. You promised. Pretty please?”

“Ugh, fine.” He splashed his face with cold water. “But I’m only doing this because you’re pregnant, and you can’t say no to a pregnant woman.”

“Thank you. I’ll owe you.”

“You already owe me big time.” He grabbed a towel and whined again. “Why, of all people, Cap and Maybelline?!”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone.

She giggled as she sent the last message. They didn’t expect Sean and Jake to be enthusiastic about their meeting, but they didn’t imagine there would be so much resistance. It’s been six months since they last saw each other, after all.

Jake grabbed the car keys and looked at her expectantly.

“Ready?”

Taylor nodded. “Ready.”

* * *

She saw them at the other side of the street. Michelle looked stunning in a short pink dress paired with high heels, her blonde hair shiny, her makeup as perfect as ever. Taylor felt a slight pang of jealousy at the sight. She knew she was good-looking herself, but she always felt like the uglier sister with Michelle around. And being heavily pregnant didn’t really help with it.

Sean tried to put on a welcoming smile at their sight, but the result was rather creepy. He looked like he was grinning with disgust. Jake studied a library window, faking an interest in one of the books.

“Damn, it’s going to be a long evening,” Taylor sighed. She grabbed her husband’s wrist and waved at their friends. They hugged rather stiffly and eyed each other warily. The tension between the two men was unbearable.

“So, where are we going?” Jake broke the silence and the three of them looked at Taylor.

“I booked an escape room for us. We’re going to have fun tonight!” Her voice faltered when she realized they stared at her with their mouths open. “You know… just like in the old times… all of us overcoming our differences… working together… to find a way out…?” She ended with a whisper.

Jake broke out of his trance and scowled.

“I thought we’ve already had enough escaping for a lifetime!”

“Yeah, especially you,” Sean muttered under his breath and barely dodged Jake’s fist. “Hey, that was a joke!”

“Sean!” Michelle threw him an icy glare.

“Sorry.” He reached his hand out to Jake. “I was out of line.”

He gave him a sloppy handshake and turned to Taylor.

“You are absolutely, positively mad.”

She grinned at him. “I know. Why do you think I married you?”

Michelle chuckled. “Come on! You know Taylor is right. I think it’s a great idea!”

“Oh, the things we have to do in the name of love.” Sean sighed.

“After you, Princess.” Jake gave Taylor a mocked bow and they walked for a while in an uncomfortable silence.

“So, Sean… I remember you were going to call hell and ask if they were having an exchange program. How did it go? I’d like to volunteer.”

“When I told them they would have to live with Michelle and Taylor, they decided to stick to their fires and cauldrons. Sorry, man.”

Jake sighed.

“And my last hope is gone.”

* * *

They entered a dilapidated building.

“Are you sure it’s here?” Michelle raised her brow. “It doesn’t look inviting.”

“Yes, that’s the point.” Taylor pointed at a sign on the wall. “We have to go downstairs.”

She smiled at a disheveled man behind the desk. 

“Hi! I’m Taylor. We have a reservation.”

He showed them one of the doors with a wry smile.

“Do you know how it works?” He noticed their clueless looks. “First time, eh? I close the door and you have an hour to find the key and get out. Don’t break anything. Pay attention to every detail. If you are stuck or-” his eyes lingered significantly on Taylor’s round belly “-you start birthing, call me on the radio.” He handed her a small communicator. “Do you have any questions?”

“What happens if we don’t find the key in an hour?” Sean scratched his head.

The owner smiled creepily. “What do you think? You stay here forever.”

Michelle looked like she was about to faint.

“Just kidding. If you don’t find the key in an hour, you lose and I’m letting you out myself. Have fun!”

He shoved them through the door and they heard the sound of a key being turned.

The room was dimly lit and it took a while before their eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

“Is that a dungeon?” Jake touched the cobweb on a wall with a grimace of disgust. “It totally looks like a dungeon.”

“I don’t think so.” Taylor looked around. “I’m pretty sure they don’t have fancy writing desks in the dungeons. And the bed looks pretty comfortable, too.”

She reached for a crystal lamp mounted on the wall, but Jake grabbed her hand with panic in his eyes.

“You sit here and don’t touch anything.” He pointed at the chair. “Especially anything made of crystal. If you disappear again, I swear-”

“Fine, fine!” Taylor sat obediently and looked at the old desk. She reached into the top drawer and pulled out a folded piece of paper and a Scrabble box. Jake and Michelle peeked over her shoulder.

“What does it say?” Michelle asked and unfolded the paper.

_“What destiny has in store for us?”_

Jake put down the board and tiles on the desk and chuckled.

“Well, it seems you and Michelle are destined for a round of Scrabble. Have fun while we try to find the exit!”

Michelle and Taylor locked their eyes and nodded in agreement, looking at the paper.

“I think it’s a clue.”

Taylor opened another drawer and found a locked box. “Hah! We’re going to crush them.” She examined the box and heard something rattling inside. “We need a four-digit code, you see?” She pointed to a lock.

Michelle picked up a handful of tiles and squealed.

“I think the code is in the Scrabble! There are a letter and a number on each tile. Now we just need to find the right word.”

_“What destiny has in store for us?”_

Taylor closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. “Check FATE,” she answered after a while.

Michelle picked the tiles. “It’s 4-1-1-1″. She reached for the box and the code proved right. They grinned at each other and bumped their fists. “One for the girl’s team!”

Taylor looked around to see Sean carrying a big treasure chest and Jake on the floor, peering under the bed. He sneezed.

“I don’t think they sweep down there. I’ve never seen so much dust in my entire life, and believe me, Princess is not that keen on cleaning.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny.” Taylor mocked a laugh. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s pretty hard for me to bend down right now. Besides, it’s  _our_  house, not just mine. And I don’t see you cleaning under the bed either.”

“ _Touché_.” He grinned apologetically. “So, did you find anything?”

Taylor showed him a large key. “I think it might be the key to Sean’s treasure chest.”

She was right. 

“Is that another riddle?” Michelle grabbed a crumpled envelope. “No, there’s something else in it. A flashlight.” She touched one of the buttons and they saw a dim violet light. “Oooh, it’s UV! We need to find a hidden message!”

Taylor picked up the discarded envelope. “There’s also a letter.”

Michelle pointed the light at the sheet.

“Look!”

They saw the word “DOOM” written across the page.

“This place is giving me creeps.” Sean shivered.

“We’re doing great.” Michelle squeezed his hand. “Taylor and I are some kind of experts in cracking codes, aren’t we?”

Taylor smiled at her, already picking the tiles. “It’s 2-1-1-3 this time. We just need to find what it opens.”

“Did I forget to mention I saw a door with a combination lock behind the curtain?” Jake pointed at one of the walls.

“See if it works.”

He entered the code and they peered into another room.

“I still think it’s a dungeon.” Jake looked around the empty space and pointed at a big, rectangular box in the middle of the room. “And this totally looks like a coffin.”

“It’s just another box. We need to find a way to open it.”

They went back and started to search for more clues. 

“Look what I found!” Jake grinned proudly, holding a long piece of metal. He ran his finger along the coffin lid, looking for a way to pry it open with the tool.

“Is that a-”

“Put. The. Crowbar. DOWN!” A haunting, almost otherworldly voice startled them. Sean grabbed Jake’s hand in panic.

“WHO IS THAT?! SHOW YOURSELF!”

“ARE YOU A GHOST?!”

“Relax, guys.” Taylor put down the letter she was holding and looked at them. “I think it’s the radio. The owner warned us not to break anything, and they probably have cameras installed to be sure.”

Michelle looked at the guys and started to giggle. “Ohmygod, you two are holding hands! That’s so cute!” She snapped a photo. “I’m totally sending this to everyone!”

Sean and Jake looked at their entwined fingers with embarrassment. 

“Uh… sorry. I got scared…”

“I thought it was Taylor…”

They stuffed their hands deep in their pockets and started to admire the ceiling.

Taylor wiped tears of laughter from her cheeks and waved with a small key.

“Michelle found it behind a painting. We need to find what it opens.”

Sean grunted. “Do you remember the treasure chest I found earlier? Maybe it has a double bottom?” He turned it on the side. “Dang, it’s heavy.” He started to tap it. “No, it doesn’t sound like it. Any other ideas?”

Michelle started to check the desk drawers again. One of them didn’t budge. 

“I think I found it!” She snatched the key from Taylor’s hand and opened the drawer. “Ta-da!”

“What is it?”

They looked at a small cylinder.

“I think it’s a seal. The letter mentioned some document is not valid without the seal.”

“I don’t think that’s helpful.”

“It is.” Taylor went to the second room and kneeled before the big box with a loud grunt. “Do you see the impression down there? I think it matches the seal.”

She pressed the cylinder and the lock opened with a thud. She lifted the lid a little.

“I’m going to open it. Jake, grab Sean’s hand in case something pops up from it.”

“I didn’t grab his hand! He did!” Jake’s cheeks turned red and he crossed his arms defiantly. 

“I said I’m sorry!” Sean mumbled at his feet. 

Taylor opened the lid and the sight left her speechless. Michelle turned pale.

“Is that… Is that a corpse?!”

“Maybe that guy wasn’t joking about us staying here forever?!” Sean’s eyes widened.

“Ugh. You know it’s not a real corpse, right?” Jake hoisted Taylor up. “Are you alright? You look sick.”

“I think my morning sickness is coming back.” She smiled faintly.

Jake snorted and looked at the body in the box again.

“I gotta admit, it looks pretty convincing.”

The body was dressed in an old jacket. Jake reached into the pocket and held a key triumphantly.

“I think we’re finally free!” He announced happily and unlocked the door.

The owner looked at them with surprise.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t expect you to find the key by yourselves.” He looked at the watch and his eyes widened with surprise. “And you broke the record! Congratulations!” He shook their hands. “Was it really your first time?”

They looked at each other, smiling.

“Well… We have some training,” Taylor admitted. “It was fun to do it again. Thanks!”

* * *

Taylor breathed the crisp evening air and sighed.

“I think I shouldn’t have eaten the dessert. I feel stuffed. And the baby is kicking like crazy.” She shivered.

“It’s cold, you should take my jacket.” Jake wrapped it around her arms and smiled. “I don’t like to say it, but you were right.”

“About what?”

“I had fun tonight.” He looked at her. “It was great to see us all working together again.”

She stopped.

“Jacob Lucas McKenzie, the model lone wolf, appreciating the power of teamwork. I’ve never thought I’d see the day.”

He chuckled. “See? You have that effect on me.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.

“Did I tell you I love you?”

He brushed her cheek with his finger.

“Not today.” He kissed her. “But I know.”

She smiled and leaned on his shoulder.

“I was hoping for something along the lines of ‘ _I love you too_ ’, but this will have to do.”

“After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t think that I love you?”

“I know you do. I just like to hear it.”

He chuckled.

“Well, you owe me, so you’ll have to wait.”

“I really don’t know what I see in you!” She shoved his arm.

He wrapped his fingers around hers and smiled mysteriously.

“I’ll show you when we get home.”


End file.
